ROME, Italy—The explosion of imaging technology has made it more important than ever to establish a standardized way in which imaging can and should be used in clinical practice, an expert said in a session at EULAR 2015, the annual congress of the European League Against Rheumatism (EULAR). Marie-Antonietta d’Agostino, MD, PhD, professor of rheumatology…
Editor’s note: In this recurring feature, we first present a series of images (this page) for your review, and then a brief discussion of the findings and diagnosis (p. 63). Before you turn to the discussion, examine these images carefully and draw your own conclusions. History For the discussion, click here. A 55-year-old man on…
View the question. Findings/Diagnosis The AP radiograph of the left hip (see Figure 1) shows periarticular, well-defined erosions of the left hip (white arrow) without joint space narrowing or osteophytes. There is no fracture. There are surgical clips and a calcified mass in the right hemipelvis (black ellipsis), representing a failed renal transplant. The coronal STIR…
In the lead article, “Imaging in Ankylosing Spondylitis” (The Rheumatologist, April 2015), Dr. Pedersen states, “vertebral edges with MRI inflammation were three times as likely to develop new syndesmophytes than vertebral edges without inflammation (odds ratio [OR] 3.3; 95% CI: 1.5–7.4).” This statement is incorrect. An odds ratio of 3 does not imply that an…
MRI inflammation, fat and new bone formation in the sacroiliac joints, spine in patients with AS
Functional MRI scans that show how pain changes the brain could help rheumatologists develop better approaches to pain relief
Experts offer tips for treating, managing cardiac effects; using cardiac magnetic resonance imaging in patients chronic inflammatory conditions
An analysis of wrist MRIs from participants in the Treatment of Early Aggressive Rheumatoid Arthritis (TEAR) clinical trial indicates that patients continue to show joint inflammation even after two years of early aggressive therapy.
June’s Coding Answer
The Current Procedural Terminology (CPT) manual has six codes to bill for Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) of the upper extremity.